With trade to Maple Leafs, Matias Maccelli confident he can rebound from down season
Get the latest from Terry Koshan straight to your inbox Utah Hockey Club left winger Matias Maccelli moves the puck during a game earlier this year. AP Photo
Matias Maccelli's mind started to race.
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As he lined up to make a putt during a round of golf with pals on June 30, one of the group was scrolling on his phone.
Suddenly, the friend started to yell with excitement.
Maccelli had been traded to the Maple Leafs.
'I didn't make that putt, but still played a decent round,' Maccelli said with a smile on Monday during a Zoom call, his first availability with Leafs beat writers in Toronto since he became a Leaf.
'It was a pretty exciting round the rest (of the day). I was super-pumped and excited to be part of the Leafs.'
Speaking from his off-season home in Turku, Finland, the 24-year-old forward said he has been hard at work for several weeks, eager to recover from what was a difficult 2024-25 season with Utah.
After piling up 106 points in the previous two seasons combined with the Arizona Coyotes, the move to Salt Lake City with the rest of the organization didn't add up to a smooth transition for Maccelli. He had 18 points in 55 games and was scratched for all but three of Utah's final 26 games.
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The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Maccelli was adamant he can prove last season was an outlier.
'It comes down to ice time and opportunity with the points,' Maccelli said. 'It wasn't the best year for me, but I know I'm a better player (like) I was back in Arizona.
'I know I have it still in me. Now I just have to show people that again.'
The Leafs are optimistic that Maccelli — who will wear No. 63 — will rebound. General manager Brad Treliving said last week that the club had him on its radar for a while.
Leafs advisor Shane Doan worked with Maccelli in Arizona and, when the opportunity came to acquire the latter, Treliving moved on it, sending a conditional draft pick to the Mammoth.
For now, it's a third-round pick in 2027 that belongs to Utah; it becomes a second-round pick in 2029 if the Leafs make the playoffs in 2025-26 and Maccelli records at least 51 points during the regular season.
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Along the way to earning a spot on the NHL's all-rookie team in 2022-23, Maccelli demonstrated his playmaking skills and the following year he built on that, recording 40 assists and 57 points.
He has one year remaining on his contract with a cap hit of $3.425 million US and will be a restricted free agent in the summer of 2026.
'I talked to my agent (Ian Pulver), so I knew there was a couple of teams who were showing interest and Toronto was one of the teams who showed the most,' Maccelli said. 'Right from the start, I told my agent that I would love to play for the Leafs.'
Toronto isn't going to completely fill the offensive hole created with the trade of Mitch Marner to the Vegas Golden Knights. With a bit of further financial creativity, Treliving, with close to $5 million under the salary cap now, would like to add a top-six forward during the off-season. There's different names linked the Leafs regularly, whether it's Nazem Kadri, Bryan Rust, Jared McCann or fill-in-the-blank.
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One way or another, Maccelli won't be handed a top-six job. He said he's going to be set to take a solid run at one, though.
'I'm definitely ready to do that,' Maccelli said. 'All I can do is show up in good shape and be physically and mentally ready for the season, and then coaching staff will (decide) who's going to play and where.
'Playing with the guy like (captain Auston Matthews) would be great, I would definitely love that, or any of the top guys in Toronto.'
Drafted by Arizona in the fourth round in 2019, Maccelli was a teammate of Alex Steeves, who departed the Leafs for the Boston Bruins in free agency last week, with Dubuque of the United States Hockey League. After two seasons with Dubuque, Maccelli returned home to play for Ilves Tampere in the Finnish Liiga before making his North American pro hockey debut with Tucson of the American Hockey League in 2021-22.
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Maccelli singled out Lawson Crouse and Nick Bjugstad (who has since signed with St. Louis) as linemates he meshed well with in Arizona before the team moved.
Maccelli's last name is from his mother, Antonia, who was born in Florida, and her side of the family.
We imagine Maccelli would rather not have a chance to golf in the Toronto area well into next June, but he won't be looking that far ahead once camp starts in September.
'I can't wait to get going,' Maccelli said. 'I can't wait to get in the city of Toronto and meet everyone there.'
tkoshan@postmedia.com
X: @koshtorontosun
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